Oregon entered bowl season at No. 10 according to the AP and No. 12 as ranked by the coaches. A 30-7 Alamo Bowl win over Texas vaulted the Ducks past Stanford, Ohio State and Baylor to account for the three-spot jump in the coaches' poll; the Ducks passed those three teams in the AP poll, too, but were jumped themselves by Clemson and Oklahoma and so moved up just one spot.

Oregon had never finished a season in the top 10 of the final polls until 2000, but did it again the next season, finishing at No. 2. The Ducks also finished No. 2 in 2012.

The No. 9 finish in Mark Helfrich's debut season is the best for a first-year UO head coach. Oregon finished No. 11 in Chip Kelly's first season, 2009.

The Ducks began the 2013 season at No. 3, matching their highest preseason ranking ever. They spent most of the year at No. 2 before falling to No. 12 after two November losses.

Monday night also brought the release of several early looks at the 2014 polls.

Mark Schlabach of ESPN tabbed the Ducks as preseason No. 3 next fall, behind Florida State and Alabama. Jerry Hinnen of CBS Sports also put Stanford and Auburn ahead of Oregon, which he slotted at No. 5 entering the 2014 offseason.